Secret Places, Secret Spaces...in England

And above all, 

watch with glittering 

eyes the whole

world around you

because the greatest

SECRETS are always

hidden in the most

unlikely places.

Those who don't

BELIEVE in magic

will never find it.

Roald Dahl

A little dove rested on our mango coloured ledge the other day and watched me as I typed away at my desk. It sat there as if in a trance, staring at me. I stopped typing and stared back..we watched each other intently until she took flight.  I took a snap with a feeling my little encounter would lead me somewhere and it did...
I started to think of secret places and secret spaces, the kind we would have imagined as a child, the ones we create as an adult. A place to dream. Seeing the bird perched on my balcony reminded me  of the book/movie The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett. In the book, the character, Mary, is lead to an abandoned yet enchanted garden by an intuitive bird, a robin. Within the walls of the garden, Mary and her friends find a sanctuary, a respite from the world,
a place to catch their dreams.

You probably have guessed where I am going with this...I wonder..do you have a secret place or a secret space where you like to go and dream?

Painshill Park in Cobham, Surrey

Do you dream walking down a country lane?

Around Polesden Lacey in Great Bookham, Surrey

or perhaps en route to a high tower?

Claremont Gardens in Esher, Surrey

Do your dreams roll with the sound of the waves along a beach?

Seven Sisters Country Park in Exceat, East Sussex

Do you have a special place, maybe a cottage tucked away for quiet contemplation?

Around Polesden Lacey in Great Bookham, Surrey

Do you dream around a country estate?

Walking in Richmond-upon-Thames in Surrey.

or on a bike ride along a wooded path?

Litteworth Common in Esher, Surrey

Do you dream while walking along city streets or by chance along the River Thames?

Along the Thames, London

Perhaps your dreams flourish while sitting on a garden bench?

Sissinghurst Castle in Cranbrook, Kent

 or maybe under an arch of cherry blossoms?

Esher in springtime, Surrey

I once dreamed with Henry Moore...

Scotney Castle in Tunbridge Wells, Kent

 in an English country garden.

Finchcock Musical Museum in Goudhurst, Kent

Earlier in the week, I wrote about an expats doors and windows here.

Scotney Castle in Tunbridge Wells, Kent

It's all about how you use them to set yourself right.

Scotney Castle in Tunbridge Wells, Kent

Can you tell I am a bit of a dreamer?

I like to think it is the Irish in me that takes me there.

I could keep dreaming but I will let you go...

only hoping that you might tell me your favourite 

place to go and catch a dream.

Polesden Lacey in Great Bookham, Surrey

Wishing you a weekend filled with dreams 

and beautiful music. To get you started..

Mary's Dreams...in The Secret Garden

and the music of a Rascal and a Sparrow.

Listen NPR.... here

Listen iTunes...here

Jeanne xx

All photos taken by me whilst living in England.

;)